We Jews 14: Celebrity Holocaust Heroes

Three celebrity Holocaust heroes and survivors.

Names such as Elie Wiesel and Simon Wiesenthal are synonymous with Holocaust survival, and heroism. Yet there have been celebrities in other venues whose early “war” stories and contribution to the State of Israel are often unsung or have surfaced much later. Each has been influenced by these experiences, and has used them to influence, contributing mightily to the Jewish people and to humanity.

Today we reveal the often unsung achievements of three and honor them.

Marcel Marceau: Walking Against the Wind

He was a mime without peer, beloved and admired worldwide as a performer (which included his alter ego Bip the clown), a director, educator, and ironically, interpreter and multilingual public speaker. His silent exercises and satires such as “Walking Against the Wind” and “Ages of Man” were considered genius, and communicated the human condition in a time frame that couldn’t be duplicated by most novelists.

“Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us without words?" – Marcel Marceau

Yet part of the mission for the man who wanted to spread “art of silence" (L'art du silence”) was born from unspeakable tragedy, and heroism.

Marcel Marceau was born on March 22, 1923 in Strasbourg, France, to Ann Werzberg Mangel and Charles Mangel, a kosher butcher. In 1944, his father was sent to Auschwitz, and murdered by the Nazis. His mother survived. That same year, Marceau and his brother joined the French Jewish resistance under the command of his cousin, George Loinger. Their task was to evacuate Jewish children hidden in an orphanage, to Switzerland. Said Loinger: "He had begun doing performances in the orphanage, where he had met a mime instructor earlier.” Marcel kept the children as quiet as possible by teaching them the art, and saved hundreds of lives.

After the liberation of Paris, Marceau joined the French army where he arranged the surrender of 30 German soldiers when they ran into Marceau's unit in a German field. Marcel, who spoke perfect English, was also liaison officer to General Patton's army.

He went on to extraordinary success yet, says Loinger, his genius was honed by his past: "You see the pain and the sadness in his mime skits. The origin of that pain was his father's deportation."

Among his many honors, in April 2001, Marceau was awarded the Wallenberg Medal by the University of Michigan for humanitarianism and acts of courage in aiding Jews and other refugees during World War II.

Marcel Marceau died on Yom Kippur (September 22), 2007.

Revolutionary? Dr. Ruth Westheimer

Known affectionately as “Dr. Ruth,” the little 4-foot-7 dynamo has made a big impact on the world with her outspoken views on relationships. Who would guess that this diminutive bubbe was trained as a sniper for the forerunner of the IDF?

The only child of Orthodox Jews, Julius Siegel and Irma (Hanauer), the future Dr. Ruth was born Karola Ruth Siegel in Germany in 1928. In 1939, after her father was taken by the Nazis, her mother and grandmother sent her to an orphanage in Switzerland to keep her safe from the scourge. Their letters stopped in 1941. In 1945, Westheimer learned that her family had been murdered, possibly at Auschwitz.

Now orphaned, she moved to Israel and joined the Haganah. She had received training as a sniper. Said Westheimer: “I was incredibly accurate throwing hand grenades, too. Even today I can load a Sten automatic rifle in a single minute, blindfolded." However, she was seriously injured during the Israeli War of Independence when a cannonball from Jordan smashed the barracks where she was living, and it was months before she could walk again.

In 1950, Westheimer moved to Paris and studied psychology at the Sorbonne. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1956, she earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Despite her fame, she still lives in the cluttered apartment in Washington Heights where she raised her children in order to remain close to the synagogues she belongs to, the YMHA she was president of for three years, and the still sizable community of German Jewish World War II refugees in the area.

Dr. Ruth has spoken out against injustice in her work, in her commemoration of Yom HaShaoh, in her life story. Among her many achievements, in 2002, she received the Leo Baeck Medal for her humanitarianism.

Beloved by all, Dr. Ruth credits her ability to walk into any situation and discuss intimate topics, in part, to her background.

“I am what you call bold, because the one thing that I've learned coming out of Nazi Germany is that I have to stand up and be counted for what I believe.” – Dr. Ruth

Vidal Sassoon: Fashion Icon and Fascist Fighter

In the 1960s, the fashion world was dominated by a few stellar talents; one of whom was Vidal Sassoon, with his trademark architectural bob worn by all from A-listers to housewives. Yet, the man known as “a rock star, artist, and craftsman who changed the world with a pair of scissors” was born into a very different world on January 17, 1928.

The son of Jewish parents in Hammersmith, London, Sassoon’s father, Jack, left the family when Vidal was three. His mother Betty, struggled to raise him and his younger brother, but was forced to put Vidal in a Jewish Orphanage when he was five. His brother followed. Vidal spent seven years in what he later called, “the first house I lived in that had a bathroom with hot water. If you live that kind of life, you never forget it. Or you shouldn't even try to forget it.”

At 14, when Betty had a "premonition" that Vidal would become a hairdresser, an apprenticeship was arranged, and the boy who dreamed of becoming an architect starting shampooing. Within a few years, he was leading a double life. At 17, with the horrors of the Holocaust still fresh, he joined the underground 43 Group, whose mission was to prevent Oswald Mosley's far-Right movement from spreading hatred and anti-Semitism. The group was active in breaking up their meetings in East London.

But more, Sassoon became an ardent Zionist who went to Israel in 1948, joined the Palmach and fought in the War for Independence. He described training with the Israelis as "the best year of my life. When you think of 2,000 years of being put down and suddenly you are a nation rising, it was a wonderful feeling. There were only 600,000 people defending the country against five armies...”

Sassoon might have remained in Israel, had he not received word from mom Betty that his financial support was needed at home. He reluctantly returned to hairdressing, taking on a confidence he’d learned in Israel. He’d give it his all – and by blending his love of architecture with his hairdressing skills, he revolutionized the fashion industry.

In 1982, Sassoon started the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism (SICSA), devoted to the interdisciplinary gathering of information about Anti-Semitism. Among his many awards, in 2009, Sassoon was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

“I just have a certain pride in the tribe... I feel very humble, in a way, that we produced so many incredible people, and there's only 13 million of us in the world, and we still keep producing.” – Vidal Sassoon

About the Author

Quirky, no-nonsense, funny, Marnie – writer, editor, author, lecturer, clinician, and administrator -- is a straight-shooter, who has a distinctive voice and takes on the world in her columns, features, and books. Her advice column was syndicated through Tribune Media Services, and it currently appears in Singular magazine as Singular Solutions. Marnie has written over 20 books/calendars, including the series “A Little Joy, A Little Oy." Her books include Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother and A Little Joy, A Little Oy (pub. AndrewsMcMeel). She is also an award-winning “calendar queen” having written over 20. She has been nominated for both an Emmy and Writers Guild award.Thefullwiki.org has listed Marnie Macauley on their list of top Jewish_American writers, dead or living. (She’s still deciding which.) She was also chosen as a Distinguished Woman in Las Vegas in March of 2014.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 18

(12)
Sonia,
March 6, 2014 10:02 AM

Dr. Ruth was not an only child. She had a brother!

Research must be thorough on a venue such as this! The story is that Dr. Ruth's parents had in hand a single document that would enable one child to go to Switzerland. The first choice was Dr. Ruth's brother who cried bitterly not wanting to be separated from is parents! That document for transport to Switzerland went to his sister, Dr. Ruth and the rest as they say is history. Would the author of "the only child" inclusion please consult with Dr. Ruth to assure no discrepency such as this misinforms!

(11)
Anonymous,
August 16, 2011 7:25 AM

Vidal is a genuine hero People think him effeminate because of his profession. How wrong.

You don't mention that Ruth Westheimer was Head of the National Planned Parenthood Federation, which is also pro-abortion.
Westheimer's parents were murdered in the Holocaust. Was this part of her Family Planning?
She had no brothers or sisters, thus she doesn't know what it is to be part of a family, but presumes to give other people advice on how to plan theirs.
Is this what she learnt from her Holocaust experience?
That all our plans for our families turn out as we planned them?
I don't know why you consider this German Jewish dwarf one of our heroes.
She makes me sick.
And have you ever checked her"war record"??

Anonymous,
August 11, 2011 7:37 AM

Thank G-d for Planned Parenthood and Dr. Ruth

Women have both the responsibility and the right to define their own lives. Women are more than just baby making machines and every baby has a right to be wanted and cherished. Forcing children to be born into homes where they are neglected or rejected by parents is criminal and leads to horrendous consequences, both immediately and in the future. Anyone who denies a women who is to be the mother a say-so on whether to bear a child is usurping basic rights from that mother. There's nothing mencshleikeit about that. Education is the key to preventing unwanted conception and Planned Parenthood does an extraordinary job of that. No one is forced to go to Planned Parenthood. It is a refuge for those of us who choose to avail ourselves of their resources.

MARNIE, THE AUTHOR,
August 11, 2011 3:59 PM

MENSHKEIT : TO HELEN

There's no question that people of all faiths and backgrounds have strong opinions on Planned Parenthood. And of course I love getting comments and stirring debate from all our readers.
Re: her war record, as I reported, she was badly injured while training, so in fact, she was effectively out of action.
My one sadness in your comment is the use of the term "German Jewish 'dwarf.'"
I can't cite the Talmud on this, but I suspect that We Jews, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist ... value debate with empathy, and without rancor.
It's difficult, in issues that are "hot" to separate the intellectual and emotional. But I must ask, isn't name-calling undermining the very Jewishness one is vehemently intent on preserving?
My very best, and shalom,
Marnie, the author

helen porath,
August 12, 2011 2:47 PM

apology in order

Quite right, Marnie - apologies for an ill-chosen and inappropriate epthet. Plus, the issue here is not Planned Parenthood, but Ruth Westheimer and her appearances on the media.Even those of us who have a sense of humour are disgusted by her lewdness. She comes out with her sexual comments, then smiles like satanic child who knows she has "shocked the grown-ups". I trained as a housemother for disturbed children in the UK so I recognize this behavioural phenomenon very well, and I despise it as a cheap shot.
As Jewish women, our job is to make our surroundings pure and positive wherever possible so that our Nation can be proud of us.

Anonymous,
October 2, 2011 1:50 PM

Disagree

I am sorry to disagree but your dislike of Dr. Ruth stems from your dislike of her subject matter. She looks at things in a way that can make people laugh and brings sexual issues into the open.

Wasserman,
December 4, 2011 2:08 PM

German Jewish dwarf - You make me sick !

Porath You make me sick - the worse thing in the world is a stupid Jew and this is what You are. Arrogant too!

(7)
Steve,
August 10, 2011 7:04 PM

Excellent Bios

Excellent for all three.
One point you missed about Sassoon is that he came from an old Iraq Sephardic Jewish family

(6)
Greg Gulbrandsen,
August 10, 2011 5:21 PM

I agree with Seth...

I did two hitches in Sar-El this year and loved it. Eat and work with the soldiers, get to know them...live in the barracks. Excellent! A true service to Am Israel!

(5)
gilda haber,
August 10, 2011 12:55 PM

Wish I had known earlier about these marvellous people

I was a great admirer of Marcel Marceau. Has anyone
written a biography of him?
I also admire the other two. Thanks for enlightening us on their fabulous background. Jews are fighters and smart. This kind of information should be more regularly shared.
Thanks.

(4)
Harold E. Brown,
August 9, 2011 2:14 AM

Dr. Ruth

Gooo! Dr.Ruth. What a lady.
I have trouble loading a BB gun.

(3)
Beverly Kurtin,
August 7, 2011 5:25 PM

That's funny, he doesn't LOOK Jewish

Thank you so much for this article. I never knew that Marcel Marceau was Jewish! The other two I knew were Jews. Whenever I begin to doubt that there is a Gd, or when others tell me to PROVE that there is a Gd, I just look at what we as a nation have accomplished and I kvell. Hashem told Abraham that the world would be blessed by us. OY! Had Abraham only known what we would do.
We Jews have much to be proud of, never be ashamed of being who and what we are.

(2)
Nettie,
August 7, 2011 3:55 PM

Still Amazes Me

Some things I knew but I did not know about Marcel Marceau. I guess he was correct. For some things there are no words...just amazement. I love to learn and Marnie has helped me do that. Thanks , Hon.

(1)
Seth Lefkow,
August 7, 2011 3:29 PM

Proud? Show it. Want to help? Google "Sar-El".

Of the many programs available to those who would volunteer in Israel, Sar-El is outstanding. From many countries and representing many religions, vols work on army bases doing a variety of necessary, interesting jobs. From teens to octogenarians, participants can look back on their three-week "hitch" and be justifiably proud of their participation in the program.

My Christian friends are always speaking about “faith.” To me this sounds a lot like blind faith. Is that really the essence of religion?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

I'm afraid that this is another case of a Christian concept being mis-associated with Judaism.

Let's first define our terms. What is faith?

Webster defines faith as "Belief without proof."

What is knowledge? "An acquaintance with truth, facts or principles through study or investigation."

Faith is usually a product of desire. Have you ever gotten a tip on the market that guarantees you're going to triple your money in a month? A lot of smart people have gotten fleeced because they ignored the evidence and went with their feelings.

Knowledge, on the other hand, is based on evidence. We know there's a place called China because we have too many products in our house saying "made in China." There's a lot of evidence for the existence of China, even though most of us have never been there.

Judaism unequivocally comes down on the side of knowledge, not faith. In Deuteronomy 4:39, the Torah says: "You shall know this day, and understand it well in your heart, that the Almighty is God; in the heaven above and the earth below, there is none other." (This verse is also contained in the prayer, "Aleynu.")

This verse tells us that it is not enough to simply know in your head, intellectually, that God is the Controller of everything. You must know it in your heart! This knowledge is much more profound than an intellectual knowledge. God gave us a brain because he wants us to think rationally about the world, our role in it, and our relationship with God.

A conviction based on desire or feelings alone has no place in Judaism. The Hebrew word "emunah," which is often translated as faith, does not describe a conviction based on feelings or desire. It describes a conviction that is based on evidence.

Once this knowledge is internalized, it effects how a person lives. A person with this knowledge could transform every breathing moment into a mitzvah, for he would do everything for the sake of the heaven. But this is not a "knowledge," that comes easily. Only intensive Torah learning and doing mitzvahs can achieve this knowledge. Every word of Torah we learn moves us just a little bit closer to that goal. And everyone is capable of that.

To learn more, read "The Knowing Heart," by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Feldheim.com). This entire book is an explanation of this verse!

In 350 BCE, the building of the second Holy Temple was completed in Jerusalem, as recorded in the biblical Book of Ezra (6:15). The re-building of the Temple had begun under Cyrus when the Persians first took over the Babylonian empire. The re-building was then interrupted for 18 years, and resumed with the blessing of Darius II, the Persian king whom is said to be the son of Esther. The Second Temple lacked much of the glory of the First Temple: There was no Ark of the Covenant, and the daily miracles and prophets were no longer part of the scenery. The Second Temple would stand for 420 years, before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

You shall know this day and consider it within your heart(Deuteronomy 4:39).

Business people who are involved in many transactions employ accountants to analyze their operations and to determine whether or not they are profitable. They may also seek the help of experts to determine which products are making money and which are losing. Such studies allow them to maximize their profits and minimize their losses. Without such data, they might be doing a great deal of business, but discover at the end of the year that their expenditures exceeded their earnings.

Sensible people give at least as much thought to the quality and achievement of their lives as they do to their businesses. Each asks himself, "Where am I going with my life? What am I doing that is of value? In what ways am I gaining and improving? And which practices should I increase, and which should I eliminate?"

Few people make such reckonings. Many of those that do, do so on their own, without consulting an expert's opinion. These same people would not think of being their own business analysts and accountants, and they readily pay large sums of money to engage highly qualified experts in these fields.

Jewish ethical works urge us to regularly undergo cheshbon hanefesh, a personal accounting. We would be foolish to approach this accounting of our very lives with any less seriousness than we do our business affairs. We should seek out the "spiritual C.P.A.s," those who have expertise in spiritual guidance, to help us in our analyses.

Today I shall...

look for competent guidance in doing a personal moral inventory and in planning my future.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...